Chapter 1 - Girl with a rose.

Kyan's Pov:

I couldn’t wait to get away from here again! As much as I love being with my father and maybe even my brother, it felt like time just stood still here. The same shit every day! Not to mention we couldn’t even step outside our territory because of those insufferable humans!

Sure, we had more than enough wildlife for us to feast on and, I’ll admit, there were some things about this forest that I liked, but I just didn’t feel like there was a real place for me here, it was just too drab…. Too confined with no real reason to be here. Father tried so many times to keep me from disappearing every few weeks, but it was different for him. He had a place, a reason! He was a vampire lord for fuck sake! Even my brother had his little underground gambling ring he seemed to take so much delight in, not to mention, for some warped ass reason, he seemed happy here with that vixen Lyra.

I just couldn’t stomach just how many humans my father had allowed to roam our home now. One by one they became intrigued… fascinated by our way of life, then begged the lord to have a place within our walls, to serve us, drink with us and try to pretend they were one of us, when the fact that their very blood ran warm and their short life span proved otherwise. Father knew how much I detested being here, sharing an island with humans, and yet here I am.

Even my brother began mixing with more and more of them… the greedy ones that had as little money as they did brains and still chose to gamble what little wealth they had.

I flashed through the trees after feasting on the now lifeless dear, being sure to stay in the shade, adamant that by tomorrow, I was leaving. I’ll stay on Shelter island with Donny and Marina. At least the island they called home wasn’t shared or limited like ours was. No, they could go to all ends of their land, wherever they wanted! Not stuck to some stupid boundary that kept us separate and locked in like animals.

I could hear the trickle of the river close by and seeing, as it was one of the only places I liked here, I felt the need to pay it a visit before I left. Maybe remembering the things I do like about being here, might give me a reason to want to come back.

I could see the sparkle of the water in view, but the sudden image of a person sitting there flashed in front of my eyes. I stopped in my tracks, keeping myself hidden behind the trees. A human! What the fuck is a human doing way out here?

But the closer I looked, I began to find myself not wanting to look away. Her long brown hair fell loose over her shoulders and her olive skin shone under the sun. Her pink lips looked seductively sweet and I could smell the red rose that was tucked in her hair, just behind her left ear. She sat with her knees up to her chest, her arms hung loosely around them..

Was she lost? She didn’t necessarily look lost…. Just deep in thought and I couldn’t help but find my gaze wandering to where her short, cream little sundress fell at her thighs. If the wind blew even just so gently, it would rise enough to see her buttocks! Wait, why am I thinking of that? I don’t want to see that. Why am I even looking at her anyway? It’s just another human…yet another human that’s decided to waltz into our territory!

But for some reason I still didn’t move. I just kept myself hidden as I watched her, feeling an urge to get closer, to know her own scent past the rose. She just stared at the river, and when the soft breeze finally came, I didn’t look to see if her dress blew back, I was too focused on how beautiful she looked when her hair moved in the wind. Who is she?

Her gaze suddenly looked my way, but not directly at me, her eyes were wandering across the trees, then I saw her body stiffen and I managed to snap out of whatever trance I was in as a snapping of twigs caught my attention, but it wasn’t coming from my direction… it was coming from hers, in the swarm of trees behind her and she heard it just as I did. I saw a quick flash of someone moving behind her and all of my senses told me it was someone unfamiliar. She quickly stood up with a panic-stricken look on her face as her head shot from one direction to another, trying to gauge where the constant ruffle of leaves was coming from.

Without even thinking, I shot over to her, grabbed her arm and practically threw her on my back as I rushed through the forest, while her hands clung to my shirt. Even as fast as we were going, I could finally smell her and she smelt delightful, a sweet, warm homely smell. I couldn’t tell if it was a soap she used or if it was her own, but whatever it was, had me even more intrigued as I inhaled deeper, like I wanted to remember it or something!

When I finally got her to the safety of the forest boarder, I took her arm and helped her down off of my back, to find we were now face to face with each other, only a few inches stood between us and she looked even more beautiful up close as her blue eyes widened and she gasped in shock and it took whatever willpower I had to not reach out and tuck away the strands of hair that fell against her pink, flushed cheek.

She stepped back as her eyes focused on my face. “Who are you?” She asked and her pretty little voice did little spark things to my stomach, but I don’t know what the fuck that was!

“You should go home, where you belong”. I told her, but my firm voice didn’t seem to startle her as she just stared at me curiously.

“You’re a vampire, aren’t you?”

“Well, do you know any humans that could run that fast?” I replied sarcastically and to my surprise she just snickered as a little smile formed on her face and there went my stomach again, but this time, twisting in little knots.

“No, I suppose I don’t. Why did you bring me back here?”

I found myself just staring at her, amused that even though I could see a slight fear in her eyes, she was still standing here asking me questions! But she was doing something to me… something I couldn't quite understand. I felt this strange and fucking bizarre attraction towards her, like I just wanted to look at her a bit longer, feeling this pull to stay and talk with her. But she was a human! A pathetic, greedy human… what the fuck am I thinking? Before she could utter another word, I dashed away from her, leaving her standing alone at the edge of the forest among the throng of trees and grass that separated their land from ours where her human-infested hometown was.

Mentally kicking myself in the head, I went straight back to the palace as I reprimanded myself for being so close to one of them, but it baffled me, how I even allowed myself to be like that with her in the first place. It was as if I was under a spell! She definitely didn’t look or smell like a witch or someone that might be involved in magical spells, they usually reeked of herbs and stale potions. Not to mention, in all my years I’ve never once come across a witch that looked as clean and pretty as she was! NO! she wasn’t pretty she was nothing, just a mere, weak human! Now pull yourself together and stop thinking about it!

“Brother!” Zekan called the moment I stepped inside the doors. “Father tells me you’re going away again. Why do you never stay?”

“Maybe he just needs more of a reason to stay!” Lyra purred as her eyes near enough undressed me as she sauntered over, click clacking in her black stiletto’s. “I think you need to loosen up Kyan, learn to have a bit of fun, like you used to”. She grinned as she bit her lip.

I could never understand why Zekan wasted his time with her. She was sexy and could be very seductive… that’s probably why she’s bedded most male vampires I know, myself and my brother included! I messed about with her once many years ago, but as attractive as she was, there was something dark in her eyes, unpredictable and rough. She clawed the crap out of me when we fucked. It was as if she had this profound desire to dominate me, but all that accomplished was the regret of bedding her in the first place. There was something calculating about her, not to mention she was just plain fucking annoying, causing problems at every opportunity. Even though Zekan beds her most nights, she still seems to want to get her claws in me again… but not a fucking chance!

“Think I’ll pass on that Lyra”. I told her with a stern look. “I’m leaving in a few days, Zekan, but I’ll return”.

“In what, Kyan?.... weeks… years? We never know when you’re going to come back and father needs us both now more than ever”.

I sighed. “Zekan, I can’t just roam around here waiting to take my place, a status I don’t even know I want. I know father is weakening but I promise I will not be gone too long”. I reassured him as I clasped his shoulder.

“Maybe we should let him go on his adventures. We can hold the fort here”. Lyra droned as she linked her arms through Zekan’s. Her long as nails clutching at him. Of course, she’d be happy about my leaving and not coming back. A woman like her thirsts for the status of being the lord’s lady and, in my absence, Zekan would become the lord and no doubt be stupid enough to rise her up with him. Hell only knows what she’d do with a status like that!

“Please brother, just stay a few more weeks”. Zekan asked with eyes full of concern.

“I’ll see father now and I’ll think on it but if I want to leave by the end of the week… I will be going”.

“Of course, brother”. He grasped my hand to shake, then off he walked, no doubt to attend to his gambling ring with the vixen strutting next to him, already acting like she owned the fucking place.